'IT'S A CELEBRATION FOR EVERYONE'
Lam Jones' Hall of Fame induction belongs to Lampasas
By JEREMY HEATH Staff Writer

FILE PHOTOS Johnny "Lam" Jones has a shrine devoted to his athletic accomplishments in the foyer of Bozarth-Fowler Gymnasium. Jones is being inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame Saturday in Waco.

It's one of the most important decisions Hall of Famers are forced to make: who will introduce them at the induction ceremony.

The most famous athlete in Lampasas history, Johnny "Lam" Jones, will be inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame Saturday, and if it were completely up to him, he knows exactly who would introduce him: the members of the Lampasas High School video technology class.

In fact, Jones asked LHS video technology teacher Cathy Kuehne if the class would mind performing the duty.

"I really thought the kids would like to be a part of it," Jones said.

Mrs. Kuehne's students accepted the offer, but Jones later was told there are limitations on the number of people allowed to introduce an inductee. "I was told there have been some changes made in the way they [the THSFHOF] do things, but I definitely still want the kids to be there," he said.

Jones visited the LHS video technology class after the students produced a DVD of his accomplishments.

The majority of those students will be on hand to see Jones inducted. They will be special guests at the 3 p.m. press conference, to be staged at the actual Hall of Fame in Waco, and the 6 p.m. banquet at the Ferrell Center.

"The students were very honored to be asked to introduce him," Mrs. Kuehne said. "When he asked them, he said that he was proud to be a Lampasas Badger, and that he wants Lampasas Badgers to introduce him. He feels like his induction is more of an induction of Lampasas High School as a whole. ...He is very proud to be a Lampasas Badger."

Jones met members of the video technology class earlier this year when they were putting together a DVD about his life and accomplishments. The DVD was intended to educate elementary school and intermediate school students in Lampasas about Jones and his impact on the community. Jones plans to speak to students in Lampasas, but a date has not been finalized for the event.

COURTESY PHOTO The Lampasas High School video tech class produced a DVD of Johhny "Lam" Jones career and accomplishments. In turn, Jones asked members of the class to be special guests when he is inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame Saturday in Waco.

The DVD, which is being sold for $15 to benefit the Texas Special Olympics, so impressed Jones he showed up on the LHS campus to thank the students in person.

"It was just their way of helping out, and they did a great job," he said.

Jones thought he would try to return the favor by asking the students to be part of his induction. It also allowed the former Badger to send a message to the community that he fully understands its role in his successes.

"That's the neatest part about the whole deal: everybody gets to enjoy it," he said. "It's a celebration for everybody. They're putting my name on it, but I look at it like it's in care of Johnny Jones. I know that without my teammates and my community, I couldn't have accomplished any of the things I was able to accomplish."

Jones scored more than 45 touchdowns as a Badger from 1973-75. He led LHS to a 1976 Class 3A state track and field title, anchoring the 1,600 relay to a comeback win that clinched the team crown. That summer, he ran on the gold medal-winning 400 relay team at the Montreal Olympics.

He was a receiver and kick returner for the University of Texas from 1976-80, twice earning All- American honors. He was selected by the New York Jets as the No. 2 overall pick in the 1980 NFLDraft. In five seasons with New York, Jones caught 138 passes for 2,322 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Notes: Jones said he has had moderate success selling the color photographs he took of the University of Texas Tower on the night it was lighted in burnt orange after the 2005 UT football team won the national title.

In commemoration of his induction, Jones has combined the UT Tower photograph with a photo of the 1976 LHS track team on the awards stand after it claimed the Class 3A state title. He is selling the photos and the DVD produced by the LHS video technology class for $200, with $25 from each purchase going to the LHS athletics department.

For more information, go to www.johnnylamjones.com, or call Jones at (512) 653-8175 or Mrs. Kuehne at 556-3614.